March 14, 2003

War Book Celebrated

In a ceremony held in Libe Cafe on March 5, Cornell University Library celebrated the acquisition of its seven-millionth volume, Gardner’s Photographic Sketchbook of the War , donated by University Trustee Thomas A. Mann ’64 and Diann Goodman Mann ’66.

Gardner’s Sketchbook contains a hundred photographs of the Civil War, and was first published in two volumes in 1865 and 1866.

According to Prof. Shirley Samuels, English, the book differs from other early war photography in that it not only portrays the scarred landscape of battle, but also captures aspects of the soldiers’ lives, from holding cockfights to decorating their lodgings. It was the first time that the public had quick access to wartime photographers’ work.

“Within two days [after being taken] the photos would be available to someone in New York City,” Samuels said.

University Librarian Sarah Thomas said the library chose the book partly because it coincides well with “academic studies which are increasingly incorporating more forms of media.”

“The ceremony also calls attention to the library, marks a milestone, [and] highlights a superlative collection related to the Civil War,” Thomas said.

Mann also spoke at the ceremony.

“For this document of the terrible and turmoiled times of our country to [join] other important documents such as the Gettysburg Address, the Emancipation Proclamation and the Andrew Dickson White collection of anti-slavery pamphlets is appropriate and an honor,” Mann explained.

Only 200 copies were produced, as no reliable method for mass producing photographs had been invented. The set of two volumes sold for the then-exorbitant sum of $150.

One famous pair of photographs from the book consists of the same five dead soldiers taken from two different angles. One image focuses on one man with his mouth open as if still alive, the other shows all the soldiers lying in peaceful final repose. Samuels argued that the book was Alexander Gardner’s “attempt to both evoke and solve the horrors of war by showing its devastation.”

Cornell’s libraries passed the six-millon-volume mark in 1997, and currently add about 125,000 volumes every year. The library is among the 10 largest academic libraries in the United States.

Thomas emphasized that the library’s success is measured in “more than just numbers,” and that in the coming years “one goal is to continue to help students get to relevant information quickly.” Recent library innovations include the renovation of the Kinkeldey Room in Uris Library, and giving students online access to nearly all extant ancient Greek texts.

Gardner’s Sketchbook has been digitized and can be seen on the library’s website. The book will be part of an exhibition on the history of abolitionism running from June to September in the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections in Kroch Library.

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On March 26, the Spring Field Ornithology course will begin its 27th year of weekly lectures and field trips. This year, however, the lectures for the course will be held in the new Cornell Lab of Ornithology on the Eastern shore of Sapsucker Woods Pond. Though it was opened to the public in mid-March, the grand opening is scheduled for early June, when multimedia exhibits sponsored by the National Science Foundation will be highlighted by a ceremony. The new lab is five times larger than the previous building and blends in with its surroundings at the Sapsucker Woods Pond to compliment its host ecosystem. The new lab will include a two-story observation tower that looks out onto the pond, as well as a visitors’ center. The visitors’ center will house a listening room with recordings from the Library of Natural Sounds. The highlight of the old lab was the Fuertes Room, which was named for the Ornithological artist Louis Agassiz Fuertes, the most notable ornithological painter since Audobon and a native Ithacan. The new lab will double the size of the Fuertes Room, and will display much of Fuertes’ artwork, as well as rotating exhibits, on a double-high wall. This room was supposed to be the sight of the Spring Field Ornithology course this week, but construction delays have moved the course to the Observatory. The Wed. evening lectures will begin March 26, and will continue every week though May 14. Lecture topics range from water fowl, hawk, and owl identification, to bird research and binocular use. Field trips can also be taken either Sat. or Sun. mornings, every weekend from March 29 to May 17. The end of the course also has two longer optional field trips. The trip on May 10 and 11 is to the Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in Oceanville, N. J. This trip corresponds to the World Series of Birding at Cape May, N. J. Last year’s competition was won by the Cornell Lab “Sapsuckers,” who found the highest number of total species. The last field trip of the course is to the Arnot Forest on May 17 and 18, and includes an evening hike to spot owls. The new facilities will allow for a larger enrollment of 150 students for the lectures. Though the Spring Field Ornithology course is listed as BIO G 200, and can be taken for two credits when both the lectures and field trips are attended, the class has generally been composed of “about 1/3 undergraduates,” said Allison Wells, communications and outreach director for the Lab of Ornithology. “Some Cornell undergrads are really good birders, though, and lead field trips,” Wells added. The remaining students in the course have been mostly local Ithaca residents, who often go on to further ornithological involvement after taking the course. Many take the “home study course in bird biology, and some who take Spring Field Ornithology join the Cayuga Bird Club, or become Lab members,” reported Terry Mingle, course coordinator for the Spring Field Ornithology Course. Some students take the course repeatedly as a “rite of spring, they come back every year,” Mingle said. Much of the enthusiasm for birding inspired in the students is attributed to lecturer Dr. Stephen Kress, who is the National Audobon Society’s vice president for bird conservation. He “has a fabulous sense of humor and a broad knowledge of birds — from why they sing, to why they do certain behaviors, how to use binoculars, and where to go for great birding in the area,” Wells said. The new lab will hopefully generate greater interest in the course among undergraduates, as well as allow more people to take the course. Wells said that there “has not been enough room in the past, but the new building is conducive to lectures, and there has already been more traffic to the lab.” When asked if she thought she might be interested in the course, Jessica Rounds ’04 said, “The long field trips at the end of the semester would be really hard because the semester gets really busy around that time. But it would be really interesting and fun to take, just not that practical.” Archived article by Tony Apuzzo

While some Cornell students spent their spring breaks sunning themselves in the tropics, others spent their time volunteering. The Cornell Chapter of Habitat for Humanity sent five student-led volunteer groups to building sites in Johns Island, S.C.; Charleston, S.C.; Valdosta, Ga.; Jacksonville, Fla.; and Washington D.C. to participate in the Collegiate Challenge Program. The Cornell students worked with Americorps volunteers, Habitat for Humanity homeowners, local volunteers, and other collegiate groups as they helped build the Habitat for Humanity homes in every step of the building process, from digging ditches and laying the foundations of the homes to roofing and insulation. According to the web site for Habitat for Humanity International, the Collegiate Challenge Program began in 1989 and “is one of the country’s largest year-round alternative break programs. More than 9,000 high school and college students participated in Collegiate Challenge during Spring Break 2001, while an additional 1,100 students participated during other seasons this past year.” Stephanie Judd ’05, the Habitat for Humanity Spring Break coordinator and co-leader of the Charleston Trip, began planning the trips early in the semester. Judd organized two informational meetings in early Feb. for people interested in participating. She also set up a lottery system to determine where students would be placed. “We basically had everything set by March 1,” Judd explained. “After the trips were determined the student leaders of each trip took over from there.” According to Judd, the student leaders needed no prior Habitat volunteer experience, and their responsibilities included communicating with the Collegiate Challenge Team and host affiliate, arranging transportation, and orienting other volunteers with the workings of the project. The cost of the trips varied from $200 to $350 per person, depending on whether the students provided their own transportation or rented vans. Included in the cost was a $90 donation to the Habitat for Humanity local affiliate. The 13 person Charleston group worked alongside groups from the University of Vermont and the University of Wisconsin in the Rosewood Development of downtown Charleston, a unique Habitat neighborhood designed specifically by the American Institute of Architecture. Pam Spier ’03 participated in the Charleston trip. “Habitat for Humanity was an amazing experience. I really enjoyed volunteering my time to build houses for a great cause and spending time exploring an unfamiliar city. Killing the University of Vermont group in a Ben and Jerry’s Vermonster Contest was also an added bonus,” Spier said. The Charleston group also spent time exploring downtown Charleston with the Cornell students from the Johns Island trip located fifteen minutes away. The 12 person Johns Island trip was led by Habitat for Humanity President Matthew Moake ’04. The Johns Island affiliate, Sea Island Habitat for Humanity celebrated its 25th anniversary on March 15, and the Johns Island group participated in the celebration. Habitat for Humanity President and founder Millard Fuller spoke, along with “numerous homeowners, volunteers, and other people whose lives had been touched and benefited by the actions of Habitat,” Moake explained. “I think I speak for the whole group when I say that it was a truly moving experience to see how influential Habitat could be by building safe, quality communities for people to live in.” Deborah Sunter ’06 co-led the nine person Jacksonville Beach, Fla. trip along with Ming Ni ’06. Before heading to Fla., Sunter participated in one local work trip. “This trip really gave me a great opportunity to get involved with Habitat at a higher level,” Sunter explained. The Jacksonville Beach group worked at four different sites, and their work ranged from building foundations to roofing and installing windows. The 13 person group that traveled to Valdosta, Ga. stayed in two cabins at a local camp sight and worked at a Habitat for Humanity warehouse building various parts to be used later in the building process, such as walls and doors. Seth Green ’06 participated in the Valdosta trip and enjoyed touring Crescent Mansion in Valdosta during the group’s free time. “This was my first trip to Ga. and my first time on a 20 hour car ride,” Green said. “I got a lot of mosquito bites and met a lot of new people. It was a really great experience.” The Washington D.C. trip was led by Craigsky Johnson ’04 and geographical coordinator Dan Tischler ’03. The group worked on roofing, siding, and according to Matthew Nagowski ’05, “applying extremely thick and gloppy glue to drywall” on a two house sight in the south side of Washington D.C. The Washington D.C. trip was also fortunate to have a delicious dinner of lasagna provided by the generous Cornell Club of Washington D.C. This was the first Habitat for Humanity trip for Nagowski. “One of the great things about doing a spring break trip for Habitat is you can have all of the fun and excitement that students have on a ‘traditional’ spring break trip while also helping to address the social difficulties of our nation — a perfectly Cornellian mix of pleasure, work, and social responsibility,” Nagowski said. The group received a warm welcome from the Americorps team working at the sight and developed an intimate relationship with the team by the end of the week. Dan P. Moore, a Cincinnati native and Americorps volunteer, explained that “working with the Cornell kids was like eating a Tootsie Roll. They are hard as rock on the outside, but once you get to the middle they’re all sweet and pleasant.” William and Mary graduate Andy Dietrich ’02, also an Americorps volunteer, added that the Cornell group “arrived as amateurs and left us as professionals. I’m so proud.”Archived article by Sarah Workman